Amsterdam is a laboratory of progressive living, bottled inside Europe’s finest 17th-century city. Like Venice, this city is a patchwork quilt of elegant architecture and canal-bordered islands anchored upon millions of wooden pilings. But unlike its dwelling-in-the-past, canal-filled cousin, Amsterdam sees itself as a city of the future, built on good living, cozy cafés, great art, street-corner jazz ... and a persistent spirit of live-and-let-live.

During its Golden Age in the...

As we’ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe a weekly dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here are a few of my favorite European memories of artisans in action — reminders of the fun that awaits us at the other end of this crisis.

When you’ve traveled in Europe, you see how traditional, local businesses are making way for cookie-cutter chains and synthetic conformity. In historic city centers, as rents go up, longtime residents,...

As we’ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe a weekly dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here’s one of my favorite European memories from Rome — a reminder of the enchanting Italian ambiance that awaits us at the other end of this crisis.

A statue of Giordano Bruno marks the center of Campo de’ Fiori — my favorite square in Rome. Five centuries ago, Bruno challenged the Roman Church and was burned at the stake right...